prices will be dropping soon. a lot of mills were caught off guard by the pandemic. they expected a drop in construction so they depleted inventory, also due to covid worker limitations but what happened was a lot of diners and other places constructed outdoor projects to be able to stay in business so there was an increased demand so everyone was caught short handed and prices skyrocketed. my deck cost me $300 more than planned
Just to be clear for those who might not know, although expansion and contraction is not an issue for plywood, but warping can be a BIG ISSUE, particularly if it is the cheaper grade plywood. I know. I've learned in painful ways. Glad you are back, Steve. I have learned so much from you.
I highly recommend his Weekend Woodworking course! It doesn't just teach you how to build certain projects, it teaches you the real fundamentals to enable you to build anything. Excellent course, so glad I went through it.
I have been working with wood for many years and still learned something in this video. I want to thank you Steve for many years of making great videos, I really like your style. Also, I share your opinion on those "ugly" branch spots you talked about in the pine wood example. To find beauty in something not perfect is actually a view with a name, wabi-sabi. Look it up if you don't know about it, it is very interesting, many makers and artists, not only woodworkers, enhance the imperfections with great results.
man... the wood prices are really holding me back this year.. last year i was enjoying projects, and now i'm just saving videos from Steve and everyone else i follow, so i can do them when i can buy lumber/plywood at reasonable prices..
@@AdamKirbyMusic yes, actually i started doing more 3d printing + electronics + hardwood.. but yeah i can't make desks and cabinets which i planned to do.. lol
Oh snap I'm one of the first commentators! Steve, I just want to take advantage of this to say that you are an amazing wood worker and very talented teacher. I learned so much from your channel and I am ready to start my little woodworking shop in the near future. Thank you very much for all your teachings!
I'm with you on that one Sebastian! I rolled through all of his videos having never bothered to even tough RU-vid. Now I'm eager to learn and build thanks to Steve. Have a good one :)
Hey Steve. Love all your videos. I'm starting to do rabbets now. But I was wondering what you meant when you said face grain touches face grain. From what I see, face grain on one piece never touches a face grain on the other piece. A rabbet gives you 3 points of connection versus 2 with a butt joint so it's definitely stronger. But it's always a face grain on end grain for the 3 touching sides.
That paduak wood is awesome. I just wanna carve dog figurines in it complete w mini-house, bone, & bowl. U know what they say... "If a knick-knack's in pad-u-ak, Make a dog and bone."
And he never said that metal expands with humidity, he said "unlike metal, wood will expand and contract due to humidity". Maybe you understood he say "and like metal" but in fact he said "unlike metal".
@@seilah8 I believe the reference he was making was in metallic stability against material movement. This seems more simple ignorance on his part. He's very familiar w wood's tendency to stretch & shrink that he either forgot or was unaware that metal also changes dimension under different conditions. Wood responds to humidity changes, metal to temperature. Like wood, different metals respond differently to the same changes: both differences in overall rate and how fast they respond.
Are there any issues with expension and contraction to keep in mind with open wood shelves and bookcases? In our large bathroom, I'd like to build a tall open wood shelf unit about 220cm x 160cm x 40cm for orchid growing and seed starting. In our office, a wall to wall, floor to ceiling bookcase. Our ceilings are about 270cm.
Thanks Steve! I commented on your previous video about my stress over wood expansion/table tops. I hope that inspired this video. Consider me un-stressed! Also, for Father's day my wife purchased your Weekend Workshop course for me. I am excited!
Is this a re-upload? I've been out of the RU-vid scene a while, but I thought this was a video I watched long ago? But I've had a lot (alot, alot) of concussions, so it could be me. If it is a WW4MM Redux, then that's brilliant for newer folks following you, and getting into WW. Steve Ramsey... always thinking of us, the viewer! Whatta-guy 😆.
A rabbet joint does NOT "allow face grain to contact face grain". It adds more surface area, but you are still gluing to end-grain (I am talking about your example of butt-joining 2x4s...a rabbet joint there does not eliminate end-grain from the joint). The only way a rabbet joint would allow face grain to face grain would be if you made a cross-grain joint which would then be weaker because of seasonal expansion and contraction. The advantage of a rabbet joint is not joint strength. It is simply easier to align during the glue up.
@@Romans828girl Not exactly wrong, but the additional surface area does not add a great deal of strength. It is less than double the surface area. If your joint was less than a factor of 2 away from failing, then it was probably not a good joint to use in that application. Depending on the orientation of the primary load(s) the joint is under, it is possible that the rabbet joint may be stronger because of the mechanical connection (not the glue connection). For example, if you have a shelf with a lot of weight on it, then a rabbet joint oriented so that the wood supports the load even without glue could be significantly stronger than a butt joint where only the glue is supporting the load. But you could have just oriented the original butt-joint so that the wood supports the weight, so once again the rabbet joint is not a great deal stronger than the butt-joint. My original comment said that the main benefit of a rabbet over a butt-joint is ease of alignment during glue-up. I still believe that to be true.
Like all your 'Basics' videos, it's clear, concise and easy to understand for even the beginner woodworker. If you weren't a woodworker, you could've been a teacher. Oh wait! Why not combine the two!?! (** plugs in the Weekend Woodworker **) wink wink 😉 lol.
Steve, you are such a natural teacher and effective communicator. This was a short video but packed with things I didn't know, even as a moderately experienced hobbyist myself. Thanks for all you do.
Great video! I learned about how wood expands the hard way when I glued bread board ends onto a table... Lets just say I have a video on my channel on fixing that mistake... I also glued it to the base. I pretty much made all of the mistakes...
I watch a lot of Woodworking videos. Steve is still my favourite - simple and straightforward with just the right amount of humour. A true pro - keep it up!
I know this is not a new video and there might not be much chance of this question being answered, but I'm desperate so here goes. I have been asked by my daughter to make her a stovetop cover or noodleboasrd. So I went to the source of all knowledge (RU-vid videos) and indeed, found a ton of videos on 'how to make a stovetop cover'. Unfortunately, almost every one of these things show the person gluing up a flat panel and then attaching (usually by gluing and screwing) some side edges as a mount for handles, or a side border, or some kind of 'riser;' that elevates the board off the burners, etc. I'm not a tremendously experienced woodworker but I was always taught that if you glue up a reasonably sized (>24") flat panel and then permanently affix a side border across all the glued together boards on it, then it will probably split as the panel gets larger or smaller (across the grain of the wood) in response to changes in humidity. None of these videos seem to have allowed for this. I even texted one of the guys and he said he had never had any problem like that is several years of making them. Am I wrong? Or am I just worrying too much? I know that wood does move because I have had issues like that in the past. So why are all those stovetop covers not tearing themselves apart?
Finish your shoo projects! Even things like sleds and jigs. Even if you dont care how it looks boiled linseed oil is really cheap. If you really don't care about it, used motor oil will protect it from weather if left outside and will actually harden slightly. And that stuff is free! Just don't use it on work bench tops since it might bleed onto your projects....
Wax finish is beautiful imho. Bees wax will make your shop smell good too. It requires reapplication but your wood will age beautifully, there’s no fumes and your wood will never dry out and crack if you live in a warm dry climate.
awesome video! Fun fact i only just found your channel because i was uploading my video, and tube buddy recommended woodworking for mere mortals, and i was like, hmm what is this xD
I know that this was a year ago, but a comment that he made just bugged me enough that i had to comment. "Padauk" is not red, and claiming it as the reddest wood you can buy makes me question how much experience he has had with exotic woods.(ive seen only one video where he uses a very small piece of exotic wood) Padauk is "Orange" and i dont think you will find anyone that has worked with it that would say it is "Red" and not "Orange". also, if you wanted to comment about the "Reddest" wood it would have to be Red Heart? it can be such a bright red you would swear someone dyed it. And thats not to mention several other species of wood that are closer to red in appearance than Padauk. The reason this comment has bugged me as much as it has (i am posting this comment the following day after watching the video, thats how much it bugged me) is because he is putting out his videos under the context of being an experience woodworker to the point that he is able to guide others along the path as they start woodworking them selves, and then he makes a comment like this that is fundamentally wrong. and for how he portrays himself it is a mistake that should not have made it into a video. Now i know that everyone makes mistake and all, and he has made several comments over the dozens of his videos that i have watched that are a bit armature level things to get wrong or mixed up on that i have no problem with as thats the nature of things when making RU-vid videos. But this one to me personally was a mistake that shouldnt have been made, but i expect that someone will have a reason to point out why i am wrong, and that is fine, because thats what its all about, its all just personal opinions that conflict with a million other personal opinions, and around it goes. I otherwise am quite happy to watch his videos which is why i am subscribed So, In conclusion, non of this even matters because no one will even care, except for that one random person that will take offence to my post or some part of the post and be as bugged by it as i was and feel the need to have their say about it (and that is the whole concept of social media right there in one small sentence)
I've built a tabletop out of mystery reclaimed hardwood and did so before I knew too much about expansion issues. It has oval screw holes attaching it to the steel frame and breadboarding attached with dowels. It has survived a year and half in one of the wettest winters and a quite dry summer in a climate that has a lot of humidity changes. If it's survived so far would it be safe to assume it'll keep on surviving?
for the wood movement what if you need to attach a tabletop to steel desk frame that already has pre drilled holes in a angle like bracket? Doing my first project and it's a 29 x 68 computer desk table top going on one of those height adjustable frame. Having a bit of hard time figuring how i want to attached it and if i should screw some cleats or cross member under the table.
Greetings from over the pond, I am someone who is a beginner woodworker at the very young age of 60 something and the last time I did any form of woodwork was at school. Either from you Steve or someone else in the comments, can give me some tips on making a functional work space from a small box room in my home. At present I have a table saw, a bandsaw, a bench drill, numerous power tools and some old and new hand tools. I have a good amount of recycled wood in my out building and in the house.
oh wow, the example of shrinking boards on your gate was really interesting. honestly the recession and the rising cost of lumber is much more stressful than a bit of wood movement 😅
I’m not sure I trust moisture meters. I have two, one I used for years, another I bought this year. I only have used them so far for firewood I have cut and dry. Same spot with each meter reports sometimes wildly different readings!
I bought pressure treated 2x4 for a base plate. Put it on insulated panels in the garage. It warped. Read that once you buy it, use it same day. Also the piece was a little wet. Should I buy one dried out?
Edge grain and face grain are essentially labels for which side is the wider of the two. Take a 4x4, there’s not a “side” that’s inherently stronger. Whatever is the face grain on a 2x4 could’ve easily been the edge, depending on how it was cut from a tree. Joists are on edge because there’s more material in the direction that’s needed, not because the tree is strongest in that direction.
Important note, that $1000 number is if you buy new. Steve gives tips on hunting down used stuff as well, and I was able to put together my whole set, including a rigid table saw that does fine with dados, for > $500 all in with some patience and a lot of watching craigslist. Also, The course is great and has you only get tools as you need them, so you don't even need the whole $500 to start. I got a used crosscut saw for $40 and a sander for $60 and that got me going (with the drill I already had)
This. I'm sure woodworking will be more fun as I get all the things, but I'm finding creative ways to make do with what I have. Example: I don't yet have a router. I am about to attempt some adjustable shelving. I plan to start with wood that is 1/2 the thickness that I want my uprights to be, and do a glue-up, leaving grooves for sliding in the shelves on the inside layer.
the point of breaking boards in martial arts is to show the impact of the punch or kick in a visual demonstration, it is not a show of strength contrary to popular belief.
Metals do expand and contract, not nearly to the extent wood does though. We need climate controlled inspection rooms for this very reason. We're talking just a couple ten thousandths of an inch or so, but when that is your entire tolerance, it is important.
I can add something: Aged softer wood moves less compared to hard wood. So if you use a soft pine that is cut long years ago, for instance if you use it second hand, then you don't need to worry about the contraction-expansion issue much. So if you have chance, use second hand wood. I met a very talented music instrument maker and he was using only second hand wood. But with hard wood, you need to be a bit more careful, as hard wood is already dense and doesn't have much space inside for contraction, it moves more then soft wood, even though it is cut a long time ago... Also, of course soft wood takes less time to dry, compared to hard wood... So when you buy some soft wood (which is not green wood), try to keep them in your work shop untouched for at least one or two months, and if it is hard wood, try to make it at least a year.
In a rabbet joint - does face-grain really meet face-grain? It looks, to me, like end-grain meets face-grain in a rabbet joint. That the improved strength actually comes from the glue face being on two sides, instead of just one with a but-joint.
He was wrong about the face-grain to face-grain. And a rabbet joint is not significantly stronger. It has a little more surface area than the butt-joint, but since it is end-grain that makes very little difference. The main advantage of a rabbet joint is that it makes alignment easier during the glue-up. If you want a stronger joint than a butt joint without a lot of work, then go with a half-lap or a bridle joint. Those can be almost as strong as a finger-joint (aka box joint) but are not as difficult to make. They are essentially finger joints with only one or two fingers.
